The Indian Clerk by David Leavitt

The Indian Clerk

David Leavitt

Gay Cambridge mathematician meets a self-educated Indian genius against authentic backdrop of first world war. Cultures collide and misunderstandings multiply. This book opens the door on a privileged world. As the reader, you are invited to take tea with a small elite to indulge in the gossip of the day and flex your academic muscle. The maths is a big part of the experience - and is both convincing and engaging - even for the uninitiated.

Extract
'You mean,there are certain days when you would and when you wouldn't want to go to London?'
He waggles his head. 'Or change your rooms?' He is silent. 'Oh, I must sound horrible,' Alice says. 'As if I'm interrogating you. I don't mean to. You see, I'm not like the others, Mr Ramanujan. I really want to know.' She looks him in the eye. he meets her gaze; his eyelids flutter but he doesn't turn away.
Parallels
  • Proof by David Auburn
  • A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar
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Explicit sexual content